The Racist Sandwich Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E61: The Memory of Za'atar and a Free Palestine Nov 15, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, we dive headlong into how the relationship between Israel and Palestine intersects with food politics. In our first segment, Food Book Fair co-director and organizer Kimberly Chou Tsun An speaks to chef and artist Amanny Ahmad about her advocacy work and about what she misses from Palestine. They also recap a dinner Ahmad cooked last year with Bay Area chef and restaurateur Reem Assil.

In our second segment, Soleil talks to chef and organizer Ora Wise about hummus, food media, and olive trees. Finally, we revisit a poem by George Abraham, "Ars Poetica in Which Every Pronoun is a Free Palestine," recorded at the 2018 Kundiman writers' retreat. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E60: Sheet Pan Chicken With a Side of Social Justice (w/ Julia Turshen) Oct 24, 2018

Show notes

For our 60th episode, Soleil speaks with the inspiring Julia Turshen, author of "Now & Again," about how cookbooks can be an effective vehicle for social and political conversations. They also talk about Turshen's work forging supportive communities as the founder of Equity at the Table (EATT). But first, Soleil and Zahir reunite! They haven't hosted an episode together since August, and they have a lot to catch up on: Samin Nosrat's new Netflix hit, changes to James Beard Awards submissions and a Puerto Rican Christmas dinner at the Beard House.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E58: Erasing Black Barbecue (w/ Johnny Walker, Adrian Miller, Daniel Vaughn and Brent & Juan Reaves) Sep 26, 2018

Show notes

Hey y'all! We're back in Texas with producer Stephanie Kuo, as she takes us on another tasty, tasty trip across her home state. This week, we're talking barbecue. It's delicious, it's trendy, it's decidedly American. But its story today has pretty huge holes. Over the past several years, joints like Franklin Barbecue in Austin have commandeered the barbecue narrative, and mainstream food media have fallen over themselves to give Aaron Franklin and Central Texas pitmasters like him their spotlight — largely ignoring the regional diversity of barbecue in Texas (and across the South) and ultimately erasing the Black and Brown folks who created it and built its legacy. For this reported episode, Stephanie talks to Soul Food Scholar Adrian Miller, Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn; Brent and Juan Reaves, co-owners of Smokey John's Bar-B-Que in Dallas; and Johnny Walker, owner and pitmaster at Momma Jean's BBQ in Lampasas, Texas.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by Robert Earl Keen, Pierce Murphy, AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 4 Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

This is our final installment of the Kundiman Series, featuring poetry and prose recorded at the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University over the summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. Today, we bring you the works of Sally Wen Mao, Leah Shlachter, Shankar Narayan and Catherine Flora Con.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer, Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Rosevere. Photo by JESS x SNOW.

E57: Chicago? Wine Not! (w/ Joseph Hernandez) Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, Zahir sits down with Chicago Tribune's Deputy Food Editor Joseph Hernandez to talk about moving to Chicago from Southern California, what it means to be a queer food writer of color, and why people should not be intimidated by wine.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

LINKS DU JOUR

Make Cachupa Rica while learning some history.

The rarest eight dollar bottle in Chicago.

The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 3 Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

This is our third installment of poetry and prose that Soleil recorded when she stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University this summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. This episode includes works by George Abraham, Meng Jin, Jason Bayani, and Susanna Kwan.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by Bad Snacks and Kevin MacLeod.

E56: The Most Interesting City in America (w/ Dan Q. Dao) Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

For this episode, we welcome back producer Stephanie Kuo as guest host. She's setting out on a journey to unpack the culinary legacy of her home state: Texas! And today, she sits down with Dan Dao, a NYC-based food writer who also hails from the Lone Star State. She's from Dallas; he's from Houston. And even though they grew up with very different Asian-American experiences, they agree that H-town is America's next great food frontier. Yeehaw? First, though, they talk about the visibility of marginalized Asian communities, especially in the South, and how the lack thereof deprives them of support they may need. This was especially true for Cambodian spinach farmers outside Houston after Hurricane Harvey devastated their small town and their crop.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 2 Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

On this bonus episode, you'll hear the next installment of poetry and prose that Soleil recorded when she stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University this summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. Today, we bring you the works of Kenji C. Liu, Jess Rizkallah, Paul Asta and Marie Avetria.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer, Blue Dot Sessions, Kaela Drew and Lee Rosevere. Photo by JESS x SNOW.

E55: Louisville's Super Chef (w/ Darnell Ferguson) Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

Guest interviewer Roxanne Scott chats with chef and television fixture Darnell Ferguson about what it means to be the only Black executive chef in Louisville, Kentucky. In this frank interview, Ferguson reveals his approach to mentorship and the work it takes to ensure his message of positivity gets to the people who need it.

The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 1 Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

This summer, Soleil stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University to record snippets of poetry and prose from this year's writing fellows. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. On this bonus episode, you'll hear the first of the 16 recordings she made, featuring Aurora Masum-Javed, Doreen Wang, Matthew Olzmann, and Janine Joseph.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by Lobo Loco, Les Cartes Postables Sonores and Rushmo.

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